From 2026, France will launch solar PV tenders totaling 2.9 GW per year, and will introduce a separate 300 MW PV tender for large buildings
Despite lowering targets for solar PV in PPE3, the country’s Economy Minister Roland Lescure said that solar will remain critical to covering 60% to 75% of future data center electricity needs
Industry group Enerplan welcomed the finalization of France’s energy strategy, saying it provides certainty to the investors, but called for faster grid integration and more storage deployment
Starting in 2026, France will launch solar PV tenders with an annual target volume of 2.9 GW, announced the country’s Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Energy Sovereignty, Roland Lescure. The plans also include a 300 MW tender for large buildings PV.
The announcement follows the official publication of the country’s 3rd Multiannual Energy Programme, or Programmation pluriannuelle de l’énergie (PPE3) for 2026-2035 in the official gazette. It comprises a lower solar PV target of 48 GW by 2030, and 55 GW to 80 GW by 2035, compared to the previously proposed 65 GW to 90 GW by 2035 (see France Lowers Renewable Targets In 2026–2035 Energy Plan).
Despite the reduction of the solar PV target, the Economy Minister stressed the significant role of solar energy in the country’s growing energy demand.
In a press interaction, Lescure stated, “We are committed to maintaining a strong ambition: to reach between 55 and 80 GW by 2035, which corresponds to three-quarters of our data center needs. France attracts significant funding for data center development; with this target, we will meet between 60 and 75% of our requirements.”
He added that since building solar projects takes about 1 to 3 years, offshore wind farms 5 to 10 years, and nuclear reactors 10 to 15 years, France needs both renewables and nuclear energy to achieve energy independence.
Nonetheless, Lescure added that the government is still spending heavily on renewable energy due to legacy, expensive support schemes introduced in the late 2000s, primarily for solar power. The older contracts account for most of the €6 billion to €8 billion that the government currently provides for renewable energy support.
Referring to lower costs for renewable energy, the government will spend far less on new projects from this year onward – about €1 billion a year – while most of the current high costs will continue to come from old contracts that are still in place, added Lescure.
French solar energy industry association Enerplan says the 2.9 GW annual tender cap is for the years 2026 to 2028, which continues the momentum introduced under PPE2 – a 3.6 GW annual target with 2.9 GW tender ceiling and 700 MW of public support. This also provides certainty to investors for their future plans.
Enerplan President Daniel Bour said, “However, I am disappointed by the volume, which does not meet our expectations, being lower than the volumes projected at the start of the PPE discussions. We now need to work quickly to ensure optimal integration of the new capacity into the grid. At the same time, we need to improve the price captured by solar power through the development of storage, whether co-located or not.”
